THAILAND - THAILANDE - TAILANDIA

His Excellency Kasem S. Kasemsri, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand

As the second millennium closes, it is an occasion of extreme importance that we gather here today to consider the question of food security. This Summit has set its sights on the year 2015, that by then no man, woman or child will be ill-fed. Many critics may say this goal is ambitious. But, as President John F. Kennedy once said - and I agree - we have the means and we have the ability to feed all the poor and the desolate, what we need is the will. On this note, I would like to congratulate the Director-General of FAO for his timely initiative in organizing this conference, and you Mr. Chairman, for being elected to lead this Summit which is taking place at a crucial juncture to mobilize collective political will and commitment to overcome the daunting obstacles to the food security question. It is my earnest hope that we can make a difference.

The reason for my participation at this Summit is two-fold. First, Thailand, as the world's major producer and exporter of food products, has the obligation as a responsible member of the world community to demonstrate our commitment to eliminate world hunger. Second, and most importantly, our Head of State, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej has made it his lifelong commitment and devotion to tackle the food security problem in our own country. Numerous food security projects initiated by His Majesty have been carried out successfully and have already borne fruit. This unyielding commitment and determination of His Majesty to make all Thai citizens have food on their plates earned him FAO's Agricola Medal in 1995. His is the commitment which arises out of genuine vision and compassion, and it serves as a good example of how the food security problem can be dealt with effectively.

As the representative of the Thai Government, I come with a message from our Prime Minister, Mr. Banharn Silpa-Archa. The Government of Thailand firmly supports the work and objectives of this Summit and is determined to cooperate fully in this important undertaking.

There are many theories, both the doom and gloom and the more optimistic conclusions about the world food situation in the next century. The eventual truth I believe, will lie with all of us and the course of action we take. There are three fundamental elements involving the question of food security. One, natural sources of food; two, food production; three, food distribution and access. If all these elements are being responsibly taken care of, the solution to the food security problem is not out of our reach.

As economic development is taking place at a very fast pace around the world, it is inevitable that fertile agricultural land is being replaced by expanding urban areas, manufacturing plants and industrial facilities. Environmental degradation, severe deforestation, erosion and the constraints on irrigation are contributing to the loss of arable land. Current technology and all the fertilizers the world knows are reaching their limits in pushing yields vis-a-vis cropland losses and soil depletion.

The other natural source of food is the oceans and seas. This single most abundant and cheapest source of world food supplies is being threatened now more than ever before by overfishing and ocean dumping. The big ocean-sweeping factory trawlers can now haul up to 400 tons of fish at a single gulp. Sea life which is not commercially desirable or not in the catch quota is thrown back dead into the ocean. All sort of chemicals which are being dumped into the ocean further stress the already stressed ocean ecosystems. With all these factors combined, marine fish catches are declining for the first time.

To address the question of depleting and diminishing arable lands, research and technology hold a key to the question. Conservation, preservation and sustainable development practices, long-term environmental interests must not be sacrificed for short-term economic gains. These measures require not only the effort of one individual country but concerted regional and international collaboration.

On the question of overfishing and depletion of marine life and fisheries, there ought to be a moratorium on the so-called "strip-miners of the sea" i.e. the ocean-sweeping factory trawlers as well as the so-called "beam trawlers". Tighter laws with more severe and expensive punishment, as well as effective enforcement measures, must be in place to deal with toxic and chemical dumping. Inadvertent overrun of contaminants must be carefully monitored. The importance of healthy-functioning ocean ecosystems cannot be overemphasized for it bears impact not only on the world's food supplies, but also on every aspect of the survival of our planet. Regional and international cooperation to improve the quality of the oceans and seas is therefore imperative.

In this regard, Thailand supports the Kyoto Declaration of 1995, which seeks to promote environmentally-sound aquaculture, one which does not harm the natural environment such as coastal mangrove forests, to search for the optimum use of unexploited and under-exploited resources and the reduction of excess fishing by whatever means, be it the biological pause method or the so-called Individual Transferable Quota System.

As far as food production is concerned, attention should be made to the question of sustainability and natural resources management. Research and development, training in new technology and production skills for farmers and responsible irrigation, are a few examples of necessary food production practices which have to be carried out. Strong international support for agricultural research is a necessary condition for the making of the twenty-first century's Green Revolution.

Food access and an affordable price of food have always been the world's persisting problem, and no-one may have the answer to this issue. Social and economic development, which addresses the problem of alleviating certain portions of the population of absolute poverty, is one solution. Note that this is not even a question of equitable distribution of income, it is simply the question of getting people out of poverty. International trade in basic food products and commodities should be further liberalized to enable the free flow of food supplies at an affordable price.

The great debate of the next century will be whether or not the world can produce enough food to feed the additional few billion people. By the year 2020, the world's population will increase by nearly two billion to roughly eight billion. At that rate, worldwide food production will have to increase between 1.5 percent to 2 percent to meet this consumption requirement. So, while we are here addressing one end of the food security question, there are those who are contemplating population growth control as another crucial factor in dealing with the food scarcity challenge of the twenty-first century.

In this day and age, when we have sent men to the moon and to Mars, when we are shrinking the globe with ever-newer communications technology, when we can fly faster than the speed of sound, it seems incomprehensible that there are hundreds of millions of people who do not have enough to eat. We must not, and we cannot, stand idly by and watch it continue.

Thailand is doing our part. During his reign of 50 years to date, His Majesty the King has initiated, implemented and completed thousands of agricultural development projects based on the principles of sustainability, self-sufficiency, natural resource restoration and conservation. The Royal Rice Bank project throughout the country has been instrumental in coping with community food emergencies. Thailand's Eighth National Economic and Social Development Plan contains major provisions related to food security. We are cooperating with our neighbouring countries in ASEAN and with our APEC partners in support of ongoing examination of the relationship between economic growth and rising population and food, energy and environment.

Food is the primary necessity of life. It is a basic human right. Every nation, individually and collectively, must do its part in addressing the food security problem for those millions of people. But let us not be mistaken, food security is not a question of charity, it is a question of survival. This survival is based on the equilibrium of an equation. One side of the equation is our biosphere and ecosystems, the other side is we, humankind. For millions of years, the other side of the equation has provided us with our lifeline; it is now time for us to reciprocate. The result will be an answer to the food security issue as we enter into the next millennium.